Aston Martin V12 News

The British-based prestige sports car maker is recalling about 75 per cent of its cars built since late in 2007, after discovering a Chinese supplier was using counterfeit plastic in the accelerator pedals.The recall covers all left-hand drive cars that rolled off the production line since November 2007 and all right-hand drive ones since May 2012, in which there is a risk the pedals may break. The DB9, V8 Vantage, DBS,  Rapide, Rapide S, V12 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and Virage are included in the recall, but the latest Vanquish is not.The recall means thousands of wealthy and celebrity owners around the world will have to return their cars -- including the DBS driven by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace and a V12 Vantage Roadster he was loaned for his 45th birthday last year.Documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration state that a company called Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co. Ltd. of Dongguan supplied the counterfeit plastic to Shenzhen Kexiang Mold Tool Co. Ltd -- the firm that makes the pedals for Aston Martin.The recall affects 156 cars in Australia, the owners of which are being contacted. "Aston Martin is writing to owners and working through the process of replacing those as quickly as practical," an Aston Martin spokesman said. "However there have been no accidents or instances of the pedal failing here." Aston Martin has announced it will move production of the part to the UK. 

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $20,000-$40,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | $59,000-$100,000LUXURY CARSAudi A8: Audi will refresh its A8 flagship sedan lineup by mid-2014, with subtle styling tweaks and interior details, along with shuffled drivetrain options. (Approximately $188,000-$249,000)Audi RS7 Sportback: Essentially a five-door hatch version of the existing RS6 Avant, the RS7 will arrive in February with sleeker Sportback styling than the wagon, and the same 412kW/700Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. 0-100km/h is the same 3.9 seconds too. (Approximately $240,000)Bentley Continental GT S: While Bentley prepares its first SUV model, there’s not much else in store for 2014 from the legendary Brit aside from powered-up new S models added to the V8 Continental GT lineup. (Approximately $380,000)Jaguar XJR: Jaguar will add the new XJR to its XJ big sedan lineup in the first quarter, with the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 performance flagship to sit above the existing Supersport range-topper. (Approximately $350,000)Lexus RC: Lexus’ new RC coupe should arrive before the end of 2014 to take on the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5, with a choice of petrol V6 and hybrid drivetrains likely to expand to include a high-performance 5.0-litre V8 RC-F soon after. (Approximately $70,000-$130,000)Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli: 2014 is set to be a big year for Maserati, with the new Quattroporte (Approximately from $250,000) arriving in V6 form in January, and V8 form in February, with the return of the smaller Ghibli sedan ( Approximately from $150,000) in March.Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Mercedes will cap its local S-Class sedan lineup in January, with the arrival of the $385,000 S63 AMG high performance model. The 430kW/900Nm twin-turbo V8 S63 will sit above the existing S350 and S500 models, and be joined by the diesel-electric S350 BlueTec hybrid and twin-turbo V6 S400 variants by June. (Approximately $250,000-$385,000)Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe: Mercedes’ upcoming S-Class Coupe is expected down under before the year’s end, with the yet to be officially revealed new model replacing the existing CL coupe models. A drop-top version is also planned, and a V8 and V12 petrol-only lineup is expected with an entry price north of $300,000 likely.Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid: The plug-in Panamera E-Hybrid is also due early in the year, with a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 and 70kW electric motor to enable 3.1L/100km fuel use with 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.5 seconds. (Approximately $296,900)SUV/4WDLand Rover Range Rover: Before mid-year, Land Rover will add a range-topping lineup (Approximately $250,000) with new hybrid versions of it and the Sport expected before the end of the year. (Approximately $102,000-$182,000)Porsche Macan: Porsche will add the new sub-Cayenne Macan SUV to its Australian lineup from June, with the cheapest diesel model forming a new entry point to Porsche ownership at $84,900. Twin-turbo 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6s will sit further up the price scale, with the 294kW top-spec capable of 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. (Approximately $84,900-$122,900)SPORTS/PERFORMANCEAston Martin V12 Vantage S: Aston will add its fastest model this side of the ultra-exclusive One-77 in the first quarter of this year, in the form of the track-ready V12 Vantage S coupe. (Approximately $450,000)BMW M3 and M4: BMW’s new M3 and M4 mid-size performance heroes are set to arrive after mid-year, with the move to twin-turbo six power resulting in the fastest M3 to date, and matched by the renamed M4 coupe. (Approximately $124,000-$180,000)BMW i8: The i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is expected to arrive before the year’s end, blending grand tourer luxury with 4.4 second 0-100km/h acceleration and 2.5L/100km fuel economy. (Approximately $200,000)Ferrari 458 Speciale: The first of 60 Australian examples of Ferrari’s hardcore 458 Speciale are set to arrive before mid-year, with the lighter, more powerful track-focused special able to lap Fiorano 1.5 seconds faster than the old Enzo flagship. (Approximately $550,000)Jaguar F-Type Coupe: Jaguar will add the recently unveiled Coupe version of its stunning F-Type in the third quarter, with the 20kg lighter V6, V6 S and V8 S variants also expected to slightly undercut their soft-top counterparts on price. The Coupe-only F-Type R will sit at the top of the hardtop range, with the 404kW/680Nm spec V8 promising 0-100km/h acceleration in the order of 4.2 seconds. (Approximately $125,000-$200,000)Lamborghini Huracan: With the Gallardo now officially out of production, Lamborghini is keen to follow with its Huracan replacement to sit beneath the V12 Aventador models before June. The V10 Huracan is set to challenge Ferrari’s 458 with an uprated version of the Gallardo’s 5.2-litre V10 and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. From $428,000Nissan GT-R: Nissan will bring its latest incarnation of the GT-R performance coupe down under from March, with cosmetic upgrades the key changes for 2014. New LED headlights and taillights are changed for the first time since 2007, and mesh wheels keep Nissan’s giant-killer a fresh opponent for Porsche’s new 911 Turbo models. (Approximately from $170,000)Porsche 911 Turbo and GT3: Porsche will launch several key hi-po versions of the 991 911 to its Australian lineup in the first half of 2014, with the $359,800 Turbo and $441,300 Turbo S arriving first in coupe and convertible ($29,000 premium) guises, with the $294,000 track-oriented and now PDK-only GT3 soon after.Porsche 911 Targa: The new semi-convertible unveiled in Detroit will touch down in Australia before mis-year, with a new folding roof mechanism and all-wheel drive 4 and 4S versions. Both manual and PDK auto will be available, and prices will sit $2,300-$3,300 over existing Cabriolet models. (Approximately $247,900-$291,050)CONVERTIBLESAston Martin Vanquish Volante: For those who prefer their V12 Astons roofless and with a back seat, Aston will bring the Vanquish Volante to Australia in the first quarter of 2014. (Approximately $510,000)Bentley Continental GTC S: Like the hardtop GT, the soft top Continental GTC is set to score a powered up S model in 2014. (Approximately $420,000)BMW 4 Series convertible: The folding hardtop version of BMW’s 4-Series coupe is expected by March, and echo its hardtop sibling with 420d, 428i, and 435i drivetrains. (Approximately $85,000-$120,000)   

Aston Martin, celebrating its centenary this year, has confirmed it has signed a Letter of Intent to form a wide-ranging technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz tuner AMG. A formal alliance deal is yet to be made though both parties are confident a definitive agreement can be reached before the end of the year.The proposed deal will provide Aston Martin with access to AMG’s vast array of performance technology, namely its bespoke engines, but also to certain electrical systems. The firms confirm that their respective engineering teams will also work together to optimize the implementation of this technical partnership.For the privilege, AMG’s parent company Daimler will receive a stake of up to five percent non-voting shares in Aston Martin, joining existing shareholders in the British sports car manufacturer such as Investment DAR, Adeem Investment and Investindustrial.Rumors of such an alliance date back several years but heightened recently when it became known that Italian firm Investindustrial, which has ties with AMG from a marketing deal with its former subsidiary Ducati, was investing in Aston Martin.Interestingly, the two firms have only mentioned V8 powertrains, even though AMG also manufactures some of the best V12s on the planet and already supplies them to rival firms, one of which is Pagani. It may mean that Aston Martin’s V12 engines could continue to be sourced from Ford.In a statement, Aston Martin production development boss Ian Minards said, “Aston Martin sources cutting-edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from AMG in our next-generation sports cars is, clearly, good news.”Those next-generation sports cars Minards is referring to will be a new range of Aston Martins, whose styling has already been previewed by the CC100 Speedster concept unveiled earlier in the year. The first of the new models is expected to be a replacement for the V8 Vantage.AMG CEO Ola Källenius said of the alliance, “This is proof of AMG’s technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides.” Further details will be announced in the near future.www.motorauthority.com 

Teasers are usually a thing we tolerate more than we enjoy--they do give us hints of what's to come, but they also ruin the surprise. In this case, however, we've been intrigued by the possibility and, now, enticed by the reality: the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S.SpeedA new AM28 6.0-litre V-12 engine powers the 421 kilowatt V12 Vantage S, enabling a top speed of 330km/h. 0-100km/h times haven't been released yet, but something below four seconds is likely a safe estimate. Torque is up from the standard V12 Vantage's 569 Newton metres as well, to 619 Newton metres of torque in the S. Perhaps more importantly, measured torque at 1,000 rpm is up from 439 Newton metres to 509 Newton metres.Some of the updates that improve the AM28's performance include hollow cam shafts and CNC machined combustion chambers.All V12 Vantage S models get the Sportshift III automated manual transaxle (AMT). Updated from the version in the V8 Vantage S, the V12 Vantage S's gearbox provides quick, affirmative paddle shifts while saving 25kg over the six-speed manual gearbox.Completely new to the Vantage range is the three-stage adaptive damping system. With "Normal," "Sport," and "Track" modes, the system can range from relatively plush to firm and agile at the press of a button. Throttle response, gearshift speed and timing, and exhaust note are also controlled by these modes.The exhaust system itself is derived from that of the One-77 hypercar, saving weight and space compared to the previous V12 Vantage exhaust.Electronically-controlled hydraulic power steering (via a ZF-sourced Servotronic system) also joins the party, with a 15:1 steering ratio. The electronically-controlled steering is also tuned to match each of the three adaptive damping settings.StyleThe exterior of the V12 Vantage S is mostly familiar, and that's mostly fantastic, as the standard V12 Vantage, and the Vantage family, for that matter, are quite comely. Sharpening the look for the V12 Vantage S is accomplished with black carbon fibre or titanium silver mesh accents, a new grille insert inspired by the gorgeous CC100 Speedster Concept, alloy ten-spoke wheels, and a subtle graphics package including a black painted roof and partially painted trunk panel.Inside, the new V12 Vantage S gets revised Sport seats, with a choice of Luxmill or semi-aniline leathers, optional Alcantara upholstery, and an optional Carbon Fibre Interior Pack. The carbon pack adds carbon fibre trim elements to the door pulls, dash, and black pedals.As Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin put it, "The new V12 Vantage S is our most extreme Vantage to date--engineered to bring race car performance and technology to the open road... It is our most powerful engine in a beautifully tailored suit. It is elegant, yet brutal, and it is at the same time easy to control. It has everything that sums up Aston Martin: power, beauty and soul!"www.motorauthority.com 

The glamorous V12 Aston Martin Zagato is scheduled for production later this year and will be the pinnacle of the Vantage range.

The concept car took out the design award for the concept and prototypes class. And now it will move from show to go, with the unveiling overnight of the street version at Frankfurt motor show.

A widely varied field from the soft-roader Audi Q5 to the baby Volkswagen Polo is competing for the biggest prize in world motoring

The Chevrolet Camaro might be built and sold in the USA, but it was designed, developed, tested and approved down under as a spin-off from the VE Commodore. It is named this week among the 31 finalists for the World COTY (see gallery above for full shortlist), and will be judged by a global panel of 60 motoring journalists before the winner is named at the New York Auto Show in April next year.The finalists carry badges from Audi to Toyota and are as diverse as the latest green-power Honda Insight and Toyota Prius to the super luxury Porsche Panamera."The list came from the manufacturers, who sent us their eligible cars for the year. There may be one or two more yet, because a couple of companies might have some extra models before the end of the year," says WCOTY co-chairman, Peter Lyon. "For example, there is the Mercedes SLS Gullwing. We don't know yet when it will go on sale."Apart from the World COTY contest, the same judging panel also decides the World Performance Car of the Year (see gallery), World Green Car of the Year and World Car Design of the year.So far there are 18 potential winners in the performance category, from the Aston Martin V12 Vantage to the Renault Clio 3 Renault Sport. Judging on all fronts now advances to the semi-finals, three cars in each case, which will be named at the Geneva Motor Show at the start of March. Then it is over to the judges to drive, assess and vote."This year we have 60 judges altogether. We've capped at that number, after adding a couple of new judges this year," says Lyon. "Originally we had about 44 judges. But 60 is the basic number of the North American, European and Japanese COTY awards and that seemed like the right number.""We've got judges now for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We've basically covered 25 or 26 countries, from Australia to Russia and everywhere between."Lyon says the basics of the award have not changed for the sixth judging and he makes no apologies for the list of contenders. "The German and Japanese cars are romping it in again. It's basically a reflection of the quality of car manufacturing today. The Japanese and Germans are making the best cars in the world, full stop," he says."But we think, of all the Car of the Year awards, this is the most natural. There is no pressure on any of the judges. They just vote for the best cars as they see them in their countries." 

Despite sweeping two production classes in this year's German 24-hour classic, including a fresh victory for the latest V12 Vantage coupe, the British brand is doing all it can to translate motorsport success into showroom results.That could even lead it into grand prix racing in 2010 with David Richards, the Prodrive and Ford Performance Racing chief who is also the chairman of Aston. Richards has just filed an entry for next year's Formula One world championship, but that's another story . . .While the track work has been paying off for Aston it is also working to create a Road Sport range to give a halo to the brand and bridge the gap to its super-exotic One-77 coupe.It is already pushing the V12 Vantage RS and now has a drop-top model ready to go: the Volante RS.Aston is not believed to be going as hardcore as Porsche does with its RS models, and particularly the stripped-down GT3 RS, but still wants to provide more performance.It is also following Bentley, which is doing the RS job with its growing line-up of Speed models.The V12 Volante RS was caught during test on roads near the Nurburgring in Germany but there is no new yet from Europe about a potential on-sale date or pricetag. But the car will definitely be fast with a 6-litre V12 in the nose.    

Muscular motors from the madcap AMG division of Mercedes-Benz could find a home at Aston Martin as the British brand searches for new partners following its divorce from Ford.Aston still has an engine deal with Ford which provides the power for its current V8 and V12 sports cars, but is already researching new directions for the time after the blue-oval contract expires in 2012.It will not talk officially about any potential partners, and Aston chiefs from managing director Dr Ulrich Bez down say they are happy with Ford, but future regulation changes could force a new approach.Daimler has already emerged as a potential partner thanks to its work on fuel-efficient powerplants suitable for sports cars. They are vital for the next-generation AMG models as Mercedes works to cut fuel use and C02 production without losing the performance edge for cars which are currently mostly powered by 6.2-litre V8s.The upcoming Benz motors have appeal, but Aston Martin's director of product development, Ian Minards, says nothing is a foregone conclusion.He admits Aston will need a partner, but emphasises the need for powerplants — and a range of other components — which still reflect the British brand's history and products.“We don't have the expertise to do all our own development, but I know where to go to get it,” Minards says.“Our objective is to be best in class. With Aston Martin products.”He talks in general terms about engines, gearboxes and even suspension systems as areas where Aston is talking with potential partners outside the Ford empire. And he says the company has hosted a lot more visits, including one recently from Bosche, since the American giant sold the company to a private consortium led by British businessman David Richards.“A lot more people seem keen to talk with us now,” Minards says.And he emphasises the work that has gone into the Aston engines, even under Ford.“When we started the V12 was a Ford Duratec and the V8 was from Jaguar. I'd like to think that now these are Aston Martin powerplants,” he says.“The basic architecture is the same, but all of the details are Aston.“The engines are still built for us by Ford in Germany. The engine area was something they held onto after the split in ownership.”He says the latest 4.7-litre Aston V8, just fitted to a mildly reworked Vantage, shows the development done by the company.“We have done a lot of work. We have come a long way.“We are now down to 333 grams of C02 per kilometre, which is about what you would expect.” FORDING AHEADTalk of a new engine partner at Aston Martin is brushed aside by company chairman, David Richards.The longtime Aston owner, and boss of the Prodrive motoring and motorsport empire, tells carsguide at the Nurburgring in Germany there are many potential partners for future technology.“We have talk to everybody at the moment about engines. We have to decide the best direction,” Richards says.“But we still have engines from Ford until 2012.”He admits it is the same with all sorts of future development plans.But he refuses to discuss a potential deal to take Mercedes-Benz engines, or rumours that Daimler of Germany could eventually take control of Aston Martin.“The company is not for sale,” Richards says sharply.